A Friendly Competition
by WhittyWereWolf
Summary: Jack's son is to take over as King, but Jack won't go down without a fight. But its only a friendly competition, no one will get hurt, right? Different then your usual fanfic. PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!
1. Sigh

1

I just came up with this. I thought it was pretty unique actually. I hope you all enjoy. I'm going to write it in different POVs, but I'll write when I change okay?

Disclaimer: I do not own The Nightmare Before Christmas.

NOTE: This is set a **long** time after the movie, Jack and Sally are married, and are now in old age. They had a son and daughter (read 'After All That' for details) and it just sort of goes from there. (oh yeah, and the both of them are now old. Jake is taking over the Pumpkin King crown.)

* * *

Jack was an old man. He had been for some time, but he never really thought about it before. Now, with Jake taking over his crown, he couldn't help but feel a bit depressed. He felt used and washed up. His once pitch dark black pinstripe suit was now a faded black, almost grey. He was glad to see Sally still wore bright clothes. 

She was still the most important thing in his life, even after all these years. He smiled as he watched her in her rocking chair, hand sewing a new doll for their little grandaughter. She looked as beautiful as ever. Though her flaming red hair was now dimmer in color, she still made Jack's heart leap when he saw her. She looked at him, a concerned look on her face. "Still thinking about your last Halloween?" she asked. This was to be Jack's last Halloween before he gave up his crown.

"Yeah, I just can't get over the fact that I will no longer be the King. I feel so, I dunno, used." he said sadly. Sally got up and walked over to him in his armchair. "You'll always be my Pumpkin King." she said, kissing him. Jack smiled. Sally always could cheer him up. "Thanks. What would I ever do without you?" he said.

"You at least know you'll give it to the right person. Jake is a natural scarer. He'll be a great King." Sally said reasuredly. Jack nodded. His son was indeed a mirror image of himself. "And Suzy can certainly take over all these Queenly obligations." she said with a laugh. Jack did like Suzy, his daughter in law. She was so much like Sally it was uncanny. Jack could see Jake and Suzy were just like him and Sally. Jake could be a little scatterbrained at mind, and sometimes he was too obsessed for his own good, but Suzy could always bring him back to earth.

"Would some crawling cookies cheer you up?" Sally asked. She knew Jack loved her cookies. "Yes please." he said resoundly.

But Sally had this feeling that something was going to go wrong tonight. Horribly wrong. And she was seldom wrong.

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So, what do you think? Is it a nice start? PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 


	2. Getting Ready

2

Alright, not an eventful first chapter, but this should start picking up. (hey, where are my reviews people?) This starts in Jake's POV, enjoy!

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"Jake, calm down!" Suzy laughed as she tied her husband's bat bow tie on. "Sorry, sorry, I'm just so anxious." he said quickly. "I can tell, you do know your shoes are on the wrong feet right?" she asked. Jake looked to see that yes, his shoes were on the wrong feet. "Can you believe that Dad's finally going to have his last Halloween? I mean..." he saw his daughter stick her head from the door. 

"Mommy, why is Daddy all dressed up like Grandpa?" she asked. Her name was Jill, she was 4 years old, and the sweetest thing ever. She looked just like Suzy and Sally. Her parents loved her to bits. "I thought you were napping?" Suzy said with a smile. Jake laughed. "Well, shouldn't she be awake for the ceremony?" he said. "What ceremony?" Jill asked naively. Her parents looked at each other. "Well, your father is going to be the new King of Halloween." Suzy said, trying to explain. Jake beamed. "Why don't we go and get you ready?" Suzy said, leading Jill out of the room.

Jake watched, then turned his attention to his shoes. When they were on the correct feet, he looked at himself in the full body mirror. It still amazed him and everyone else how much of a mirror image he was of Jack. His new pinstripe suit made him look all the more so like Jack in his prime. He was just as tall, and still extemely skinny, (no matter how much Sally and Suzy fed him). and between his mother and Suzy he always had plenty of clothes. He saw the famous Skellington grin his father wore every Halloween on his face. He just couldn't wait for tonight.

* * *

Jack sighed. Sally looked over at him, worried. Scaring had been his whole life, now all of a sudden he was supposed to give it up? It had been different for him, his father had died when he got his crown. But two things in this world cheered Jack up, Sally and Halloween. And tonight he happened to have both. "I do hope I give them a lasting impression. I want to give them something worth rembering." he said.

Sally was kind of distracted balancing 5 dishes in 2 hands. She laid the food out on the table, it was for their family who was coming over tonight. "There they are." she said, she opened the door.

And so it began.

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A longer chapter. Please review and if you have any ideas, tell me. I'd love to hear them. REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIE


	3. The Contest

3

Okay, I know I gave up on this for a while...curse my short attention span. I hope you'll forgive me. In any case, I know what I'm doing now so I hope to update faster (well, at least faster than every three months)

* * *

Sally opened the door to see her daughter Sam, her husband Harry, and her two grandchilderen; Jason, who was a werewolf and five years old, and little Hannah, the new baby of the family, and a cute ragdoll. 

"Hey mom!" said an exasperated Samantha. She gave her mother a one-armed hug, as the other she was juggling her baby. "Hello Mrs.Skellington!" said Harry hearitly. "Hello Sam, Harry...please come in." said Sally, inviting them in. Jason ran straight to Jack.

"Hey grandpa!" he said happily. Jack smiled. "And how are you today Jason?" "Just fine, you? What did you get me?" he asked excitedly. It was Jason's birthday today. Jack produced a pinstripe wrapped present. "Happy birthday Jason." he said. "Thank grandpa!" Jason grabbed the present. He ripped open the wrapping paper. The family held their breath...Jack was known for giving gifts that were sometimes a little too scary.

"Omigosh itsamonsterunderthebed!!!!!" Jason said in one breath. Jack grinned. "Can I keep it?" Jason asked. Harry shrugged. It was fine with him. "Thanks grandpa!" Jason gave Jack a hug and then started playing with his monster. Sam, Harry, Hannah, and Jason sat down at the table. The door bell rang again.

"I'll get it." called Sally from the kitchen. "No no, I'll get it." said Jack. He opened the door.

Outside was the other half of the Skellington family. Suzy held their granddaughter's hand and Jake stood grinning. "Hey dad!" he said, pushing his way inside. "Hello Jake, Suzy, and how are you Jill?" he asked, bending down to Jill's level. "I'm good grandpa." she said. They sat at the table. Jack sat at the head of the table, Sally next to him on the right side, Jake on the left. Suzy sat next to Jake, and Jill next to Suzy. On the other side next to Sally sat Sam,(holding Hannah) Harry, and Jason.

"Shall we dig in?" said Jack. He didn't need to say it twice. Sally's cooking was delicous after all. As they all stuffed their faces, the usual conversations started up. 'How's the business?' 'How are the kids in school?' etc. When Jack was done, he started up a very different conversation.

"Jake, you do know its not easy." Jake frowned. "What's not easy Dad?" "Being the Pumpkin King." The entire family silenced. They could feel something brewing in the room.

"I know." said Jake. "Do you think you can handle it? All that pressure?" asked Jack, an iron stare at Jake. Jake returned the stare. "I think I'm capable." he said coldly. Jack stood. "I have a little...test to prove yourself." he said. Sally put her hand on Jack's to try to get him to stop, but Jake was now angry. "I'm sure I can past any 'test' you can give out." he said icily. Jack grinned evily. "We'll see." he said. Jake gulped, but held his ground. Jack straightened. "I propose a simple contest. A friendly competition if you will...whoever can scare the most humans this Halloween night can truly call himself the Pumpkin King." he said. Jake gulped. Had anyone else in HalloweenTown proposed this, he would have laughed and beaten them easily...but this was Jack Skellington.

Jake stood, and looked Jack straight in the eye. "Sounds fair...what are the rules?" he asked. Jack pondered. "The humans have to truly be scared, no small frights...you have to scare humans age 18 and older, no small childeren. And you can go anywhere in the world. We have to start at the same place and end back here at exactly seven the next morning. Think you can do this?" Jack questioned. "Positive." replied Jake.

* * *

The rest of the family looked nervously at each other, this could not end well...

Little did they know.

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Okay, yeah I'm sorry that I haven't updated...I kinda forgot about this fanfic to tell you the truth. I hope that you please review so I continue it...REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW... 


	4. Why?

4

Okay, well, now that we know what the 'friendly' competition is, I can move on with the story! I would like to say, I'm sorry for disappearing on all of you. A long, complicated event came up and I had a huge bout of writer's block...I'm only getting to write this much because I'm sick as a dog...anyway, on with the tale!!

* * *

"Jack..." Sally said softly, but Jack and Jake never broke their intense stare. 

"Ummmm, we're going to be going...c'mon Harry, Jason.." said Sam awkwardly. Harry and Jason got up quickly, hastily making their escape. They scurried out the door.

"Why don't we sit down and I'll bring out the desert?" suggested Sally. Jack and Jake slowly sank into their chairs, never taking their eyes off each other. Suzy put a hand on Jake's shoulder, but he paid no mind. Sally brought out a large cake. She placed it in front of Jack.

'Happy Halloween' it said in orange frosting. The rest was black colored, with frosting bats running around the sides. Jack smiled. "Thank you Sally." he said, giving her a kiss. It eased a bit of the tension in the room.

"Are we going to have cake?" asked Jill, oblivious to the feeling in the room. Suzy and Sally laughed. Jack picked up a knife and began dividing the cake, a petite piece for Jill, and a larger piece for the rest. Jill, Suzy, Sally, and Jack ate theirs heartily, while Jake picked at it. As soon as they finished their cake, Jake stood.

"I think its time we left." he said gruffly, took Jill by the hand, and headed out the door. Suzy thanked Jack and Sally for their hospitality, then hurried after her daughter and husband.

As soon as the door closed, Sally turned to Jack.

"What the hell Jack!!" she exclaimed. Jack shrugged. "I don't know what you're talking about." he said. Sally glared. "Why didn't you just step down? Why did you have to start that stupid contest?!" Jack shrugged again. Sally was now furious by his lack of reaction. "Why did you have to get Jake angry? You know how he gets..." "Sally, I know what I'm doing." "And what is that?" Jack grinned.

"You'll see..."

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I know, I know, short chapter...but next chapter the competition begins...so you'll just have to wait...or review and I'll post it soon. 


	5. Preparations

5

okay, I know, short break. Anyway, here's the next chapter.

* * *

Jake stomped angrily. 

"Who does he think he is? Standing me up in front of the family like that..."

"Maybe its for the best..."

"His stupid test..."

"Maybe all new Kings take it?"

"Suzy, you are too optomistic."

"And you are such a pessimist."

Jake stuck his tongue out at her.

"Anyway, I'm sure you can do it." assured Suzy. Jake shook his head. "If it was anyone else in HalloweenTown, I would've laughed. But this** is** Jack Skellington we're talking about." Jake pointed out.Suzy nodded. They reached their home. Jake unlocked the door, and they entered.

"I'm going to put Jill to sleep." said Suzy, leading Jill upstairs to her room. Jake watched them, then looked around the room. He had to find anything that could help him in this 'competition.'

Skulls? No, he had his own on his shoulders.

Blood? No, he could just bring some powder that gave the look of blood. It was lighter.

Slime? Jake had personally always thought slime wasn't that scary, just gross.

So...what? Jake wondered. He supposed nothing he could take could really help him in the field. It was up to him then. Suzy came down stairs to find her husband tossing various items out of a chest he was searching feverently.

"Calm down Jake!" she exclaimed, narrowly dodging a skull being thrown. "Sorry..." muttered Jake.

"Is Jill asleep?" he asked. Suzy nodded. "We ought to head to the Town Square then." Jake said decidely.

**

* * *

**

Jack too was getting ready. "Jack, do you really think this is necessary?" asked Sally worridly.

"Most definately." replied Jack absentmindely as he fixed his crooked bat bow tie. Then he turned to Sally.

"We ought to head to the Town Square." he said.

* * *

Next chapter I start the competition! (sorry, I keep changing my mind about it, so its been hard to write) So please review!!!! 


	6. AAaaaaand They're Off!

6

I know...I haven't added anything for a while...I've been working on other fics...sorry...thanks for all the awesome reviews guys, and to SamanthaMae, I'm not entirely sure. I suppose you are, but in all fairness, Samantha Skellington came from my head before I knew you...enjoy!

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(At the town square) 

"And so my friends, this will be my last Halloween as your Pumpkin King." Jack concluded his speech. He gestured toward Jake, who stepped forward.

"Instead, I am giving the reins to my very capable son Jake..." appluase went wild, "If he can beat me in a competition." Jack threw in. The crowd went silent. This was most peculiar, but it **was** Jack Skellington they were talking about.

"The contest is; who can scare the most humans in the least amount of time this Halloween night." Jack announced. "The witches have already conjured up a scoreboard that the rest of you can watch here. Every time either I or Jake scare another human, another number is added."

"The rules; the Human must be eighteen or over, they must truly be terrifyed, and we must both meet back in the sqare at exactly seven o'clock in the morning. Jake has already agreed to these." stated Jack.

"And so, my friends, withour further ado, let the games begin!" Jack turned to Jake. Jake stuck out his hand. "Best of luck." he said. Jack nodded. The witches ceremoniously opened the portal.

Jack and Jake stood at the starting line, each in a crouched sprinting pose. The mayor waved a flag, and off they went.

* * *

Jake landed somewhere in the heart of New York City. He grinned. There were plenty of people in New York, so his chances should be good.

* * *

Jack arrived in London. He grinned. Plenty of people here, not to mention it was one of Jack's favorite cities.

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Short chapter, I know...I'll add more next time. If I get enough reviews that is!!! 


	7. The First Few

7

Hey guys...thanks for the reviews, even though I know that last chapter really sucked...sorry...

* * *

Jake knew where to find humans over eighteen. Colleges! And so he scrambled up a rooftop and lept from building to building to find humans. 

He was lucky, and chanced upon a frat house Halloween party.

"Score." he said, grinning.

* * *

His father, on the other hand, headed towards an english tavern. After all, if you were over twenty one you were fair game. 

Jack slinked quietly into the alley behind the tavern, and patiently waited for a victim.

* * *

Jake, however, had racked up at least ten to his list of scares, as he did not wait, but simply crashed the party. 

Humans were running and screaming everywhere, pandamonium and chaos were unleashed. Jake was a demon, impossible to see he was moving so fast. Of course, he didn't hurt any humans, that was wrong, but a simple breath down the neck, a ghostly wail, or jumping in front of them was enough to frighten most out of their sanity.

"I am winning this bet..." Jake thought.

* * *

Little did he know that Jack too was adding numbers. A group of about ten twenty some year olds went into the alley to light up a smoke. Jack grinned and sprang at them. A well placed moan was all it took to truly terrify them. 

"Thats what you get for smoking!" Jack called as they ran away in fear.

Jack laughed. "This is no contest..." he thought.

* * *

Back in HalloweenTown, everyone had settled chairs and blankets in front of the scoreboard. The town was abuzz with excitement, and the mayor was collecting money for bets.

Right now, about both scores were tied, with Jack at 13 scares, and Jake as well. The bets were distributed evenly as well. No one had any clue how this would end up.

Two creatures in HalloweenTown were not enjoying this one bit. Sally and Suzy watched the clock anxiously to see when their bonemen were coming home.

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I know, its short...oh well, if you want more, all you gotta do is review! Please? 


	8. Royal Treatment

8

This is a gift for Musically...hope all you guys enjoy!

* * *

Jake headed for Chicago, another large city. His best hopes were with a place with lots of people in a small area, so he went to the intercity. 

In an undistingishable ghetto, he chanced upon a group of gang members huddled around a street fire. He slipped behind them. They saw an odd shaped shadow on the ground, and looked up to see Jake contorting his face.

They ran screaming bloody murder, and Jake laughed. "This'll be a piece of cake.." he thought to himself. "If I keep ringing up these numbers, it'll be no contest."

* * *

Jack scurried across London rooftops. "Hmmm, where to start, where to start...I know!" he headed in the direction of Buckingham palace. 

He looked in one of the windows to see the royal family sitting in the living room, quietly reading books. He grinned.

"Too easy..." he said, then scurried across the wall like a spider, and slipped inside. He poked his skull out from one of the air ducts.

Slinking silently, he went behind the Queen of England. He breathed on her neck, causing her to turn around. "Boo." he said.

The queen screamed. The entire royal family screamed too actually. Jack did a sinister laugh, and burst through a window before the guards busted in.

When he landed on the ground, about a ten story drop, he felt his entire skeleton rattle.

"Hmmm...I'm getting too old for this job..." he mumbled, catching his breath.

* * *

"Lookit that! I told you Jake was a clear cut winner!" yelled the clown without a face proudly. 

"Take another look Bozo! Jack's ahead now!" retorted the tall vampire.

"You're both wrong! Its a tie!" shot back Mr. Corpse.

And so it went on. How confusing it was...like a tennis match, everyone's heads going back and forth.

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I know, long hiatus...please forgive me...review, please? 


	9. Ocean View

9

a/n ((IMPORTANT!!)) The character Victoria is not mine; she is property of my good friend Musically, who has so graciously allowed me to use her oc. Please forgive me, Musically, if she's not written perfectly. She's a great authoress too guys, you should check out some of her fics. Not to mention, if not for her reminder, I would not be writing this chapter.

I would like to thank all my reviewers out there, who have just been great, and we already said above, special thanks to my friend Musically.

* * *

"I can't believe that they're really doing this." 

"I know, its so childish."

Sally and Suzy were conferencing as the rest of the town watched the scoreboard. Suzy looked worridly at the clock.

"Its near midnight...do you think something happened to them?"

Sally glanced at the time as well. "Jack and Jake have been going to the Human World for years...I'm sure they're fine." she said, more to convince herself than to calm Suzy.

Suzy laughed. "They're probably sitting down at a cafe somewhere, laughing about how immature this whole night is."

* * *

Contrary to Suzy's belief, Jack and Jake Skellington were not sitting in a cafe laughing. They were not laughing. They were not even in a cafe. 

They were running out of time, simply put. There were but ten minutes left for Halloween night, and the score was tied.

Jake was desperate to win. He had moved from the ghettos to a ritzy, upperclass neighborhood. If the sign he read was correct, this was Blue Ridge, California. And the particular area he was wandering about in was Ocean View Estates, a gated community. The name fit, Jake thought, as he looked past a few mansions to see a strip of beach with sea water lapping at its edges.

The houses were more like personal skyscrapers, behemoth and impressive, but cold and emotionless. There was a great, olympic-sized pool in the center of the cul-de-sac, apparently for the resident's use. Four tennis courts lined up neatly beside it. Jake could tell the people living here had money...and had probably sold their soul for said riches.

He just needed one more scare. He picked the nearest house, a beautiful white, three-story mansion surrounded by a high, foreboding iron gate. He crept over the spiked fence like a spider on a web, silently and with deadly purpose. His small black shoes not making so much as a rustle in the crisp-cut kentucky blue grass lawn, he mounted up the side of the house, opened the window of the first-floor seamlessly, and slunk in like a shadow.

* * *

Jack Skellington was doing something he hadn't done in years...worry. 

With ten minutes left, and the score tied, he suddenly wasn't feeling quite as confident as he had been the rest of the competition. Quite the opposite really...he believed that Jake actually could beat him...him, Jack Skellington!!

Jack straightened up. He gave himself a mental pep-talk.

_And I, Jack! The Pumpkin King...Thats right, I am the Pumpkin King!!! _

He had wandered into some sort of rich subdivision, from what he could tell from the dim light. The orange globes above his head...the streetlights, made him cast an abnormally long shadow...even for Jack Skellington, who measured near seven feet. He looked up at the night sky. It was a dark blanket with bright pinpoints of light, the stars, and a full, yellowing moon stitched in.

He needed a scare, badly. He randomly picked a mansion, one that looked the largest. Leaping over the fence, his plan was to climb up to the third story and enter through the window. About a third of the way up, however, he felt his bones tuning up. There would be a concert tomorrow.

Groaning from the ache in his bones, he settled for the first-story window and slipped inside.

* * *

Jake tiptoed on the plush, stark white carpet in the hallway. There were doors branching off on both sides of the hall, and he hadn't an idea which to try first. He decided to begin with the door at the very end of the hall, which had a light shining beyond it. 

"That looks promising..." he muttered quietly to himself.

* * *

"No no no! Ooooh, its all wrong!" Victoria vented as she hit the backspace key. 

She sat at the polished solid oak kitchen table, the blinking screen of her laptop staring at her expectantly.

The girl yawned, dark circles under her hunter green eyes. She wiped a lock of long, wavy, chestnut hair from her face. She hadn't slept all night, and wasn't planning to until her thesis for college was finished. Unfortunately, her writing skills seemed to have drained away with her cup of coffee.

She, unlike the children of the neighborhood, was not costumed. Instead she was wearing a vintage F.O.B. (Fall Out Boy) grey tee, with a pair of dark jeans.

Victoria was not a drinker, but at the moment a bottle of beer seemed like it would be a great comfort. Being twenty-one, legally she could reach into the fridge and get one. But she didn't dare, for she was certain any amount of alchohol this late into the witching hour would make her fall asleep, and she needed this thesis to be finished. She buried her head in her hands.

Which was just about the time she felt a finger of cold air trace down her neck. She turned, irritated that someone was obstructing her work, and came face to face with the skull of Jake Skellington.

* * *

Until next time my readers...please review and maybe it won't be such a hiatus like this time huh? 


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